Sunday, July 17, 2016

There are cake spin offs from cookie recipes and vice versa. Some of the spin offs prove to be a delicious genius idea and some miss the mark all together. Most of the cake to cookie recipes result in cookies with a cake-like texture. I have to admit, that type of texture is usually not my preference, but this recipe is tasty enough to make me reconsider that.

The special combination of flavors and texture in this recipe offers the best of both worlds. Without icing, the are subtly sweet with crunchy pieces of pecans and chewy bits of dried pineapple. If you are in the mood for something sweeter, top these gems with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle on some banana chips and pecans. Whichever way you decide to prepare them, they will quickly disappear. This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together the salt, flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside. Fill the bowl of a stand mixer with the butter, vanilla extract and brown sugar. Cream together until fluffy, beating for about 3-4 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. Add one egg and mix at medium speed for about 30 seconds. Repeat the process with the other egg.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in the mashed banana until evenly distributed into the batter. Pour in the sifted ingredients and fold into the batter until no dry streaks remain. Mix in the oats. Lastly, fold in the pineapple and nuts.

Place mounds of the batter 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets, using a tablespoon or small melon ball scoop. Using a glass with the bottom dipped in water, press down mounds into flat circles, about 1 3/4 to 2 inches in diameter. Place prepared sheet in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until done. Cookies will have a golden edge and be firm on top when done.

Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet prior to transferring to a rack. Frost cookies once completely cooled.

To make frosting, mix together salt, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Add cream cheese and beat for 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl when needed. Sift 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar into the cream cheese mixture and beat until blended. Repeat the process until all the powdered sugar has been mixed in.

In a small bowl, mix together the pecan and banana pieces. Using a knife or spatula, spread frosting onto the cooled cookies. Once a dozen have been frosted, sprinkle pecan/banana chip blend on top of the frosting and lightly press to adhere. Repeat the frosting and sprinkling process until all the cookies are covered.

Tips and Notes:
1. The recipe states to use a glass that is floured on the bottom to flatten the dough. The water method works much better.

2. I am in a high humidity area and the moist surface of the cookies (unfrosted) had me cautious about stacking them together, so I let them dry out overnight before storing. Also, I waited until the night before serving to frosted them. **LASAT YEAR:Banana Fudge Bundt Cake**